Abstinence
by Mistsukis2
Summary: 8 days, 4 hours, 27 minutes and 12 seconds. That was the time that Naru did not touch Mai, or rather, that was the time that Mai did not touch him. It was the time that she didn't embrace him. It was the time that he didn't hold her hand. It was the time that he didn't kiss her. And it was starting to bother him.


**Hello!**

**So, here I'm posting an oneshot for the Ghost Hunt fandom!**

**The characters are probably a little OOC, but I hope that you like the story!**

**Have fun!**

"Mai! Tea!"

Naru's cry reached Mai's ears as she worked on filing the last case that SPR had concluded. The 17-year-old girl sighed and placed the papers on her desk to head towards the kitchen to prepare her boss/boyfriend's loved Earl Gray tea.

That's right, boyfriend.

Oliver Davis, Kazuya Shibuya, Noll or Naru, as everyone at SPR called him, had returned from England half a year after leaving Japan, claiming that Japan had more paranormal activities, which provided more interesting cases.

However, 4 months after his return, Naru accepted a case at a school that almost cost Mai's life, when the vengeful ghost of a boy who had been betrayed by his girlfriend decided to take out all his anger on Mai, throwing the brunette from the third floor of the school building.

Luckily, the Taniyama fell on the top of a tree, which saved her life, even so it costed her numerous scratches on her arms, legs and face, as well as a fracture in her right shoulder when she hit the ground. Mai spent almost two weeks in the hospital under the observation of Ayako who insisted on being the doctor who would take care of the girl she saw as her own daughter.

When the brunette finally left the hospital, Naru took her to a restaurant claiming to be an apology for not being able to prevent the ghost from hurting her, and at the end of dinner, he confessed.

The girl sighed, although they had been dating for almost a year, and living together (something Naru had even proposed saying that he was supposed to keep Mai out of danger), Naru's attitude towards her remained almost the same, it was as if only the status of "single" had changed to "dating". Of course they had their kissing and making out moments, but nothing more.

And that "nothing more than that" was starting to irritate Mai. When they seemed to advance in the relationship, Naru pushed her away and saying that he needed to get back to work. And she? She simply obeyed, because the only time she questioned why they never keep going, Oliver simply looked at her with disinterest.

Would...she be the problem?

She wasn't pretty enough?

She didn't have sex appeal enough?

Or...Naru just didn't love her anymore?

The sound of boiling water interrupted Mai's thoughts. She had not even realized that she had already put the pot of water on the fire and had already taken the cup of tea!

She sighed and decided to put her thoughts aside to take her boyfriend's tea.

...

Mai knocked on the door and seconds later she heard an "Come in" as an answer. The girl opened the door and immediately closed it behind her. The room was lit by the orange colors of the sunset, which highlighted Oliver Davis who was sitting in his black leather chair.

The girl placed the cup of tea on the 18-year-old boy's table and then walked behind her boyfriend's chair, hugging him.

"What are you doing?" Mai asked trying understand the words in English, written in the document that Naru had received by email.

"Working." replied the English boy without any emotion in his voice.

"That's not what I meant, narcissist …" muttered the brunette before kissing Noll's cheek.

"Mai…" began Naru after a sigh.

"Yes?"

"Can you let me go? I would like to drink my tea and get back to work." said Naru dryly.

"Ah…" muttered Mai "...I'm sorry…"

She removed her arms that were around her boyfriend's neck and took a few steps away uncertain of what to say.

"Do you want anything else, Mai?" Naru asked, staring at his girlfriend.

"Eh? Ah...no... sorry to bother you…" replied the Taniyama heading towards the door.

When she was about to close the door behind her, she heard Naru's voice.

"It is getting late and today I will come home later." said the boy typing something in his computer. "If you haven't finished your work, do it tomorrow."

Mai looked down and murmured a "Yes" before closing the door.

Oliver took his eyes off the screen of to look at the door that his girlfriend had just closed. Normally Mai would have jumped of joy hearing that she could leave early, but the simple "yes" he had received as an answer seemed to have no emotion other than sadness.

Had something happened to Mai to make her so...discouraged?

...

Mai arrived at the apartment she shared with Naru at exactly 6 pm. It was still too early to prepare dinner so he decided to throw herself on the bed to put her thoughts in order.

The girl's brown eyes looked at the white ceiling, but at the same time it was as if she wasn't lookint at it, since her thoughts had already taken her away to another world. The events of that afternoon were repeated in her mind and some tears streamed down the beautiful brown orbs.

Naru didn't want her to touch him anymore.

Why else would he tell her to stay away so he could have his tea and go back to work?

Wouldn't boyfriends normally do anything to get in physical contact with the person that they love?

Could it be that ... he really doesn't love her anymore? Is that why he wanted to have as little physical contact as possible?

Mai closed her eyes and left the tears run freely down her face, if it was distance Naru wanted ... well ... she would keep as much distance as possible.

And with those thoughts, Mai fell asleep.

...

When Naru arrived at the apartment he shared with Mai, it was strange that the lights were all off. He looked at his cell phone screen and saw that it was after 11 pm. Mai would probably be asleep by now.

The teenager took off his shoes at the entrance to the apartment and headed towards Mai's room, which for some reason had the lights on.

Without making much noise, Oliver opened the door to his girlfriend's room and saw her sleeping soundly. A small smile broke out on the stoic boy's face before walking towards the girl's bed to cover her.

It was then that he noticed.

Mai's eyes were slightly swollen as if...as if she had been crying ...

The smile faded from Oliver's face and an expression of concern took its place. Mai was already acting weird in the afternoon, and now he found out that she had spent the rest of the afternoon crying alone for a reason he did not know.

"Mai…" he whispered before crouching and placing a kiss on the girl's forehead.

...

"Good morning!" exclaimed Mai smiling as she entered the kitchen of the apartment already dressed in school uniform.

Oliver looked at the entrance of the kitchen to look at Mai, who was apparently happy. Had she found the solution to the problem that was making her sad? Well ... if that was it, he wouldn't have to worry anymore.

"Good morning" Naru replied waiting for the kiss that Mai gave him every day in the morning, something that did not happen.

The brunette went straight past him and went to the stove to prepare tea and the rest of breakfast.

"What do you want for breakfast?" asked the Taniyama with a smile.

Naru frowned slightly, wouldn't Mai give his "good morning" kiss? Had she forgotten?

Ignoring these thoughts, Naru simply said:

"Anything."

...

8 days, 4 hours, 27 minutes and 12 seconds.

That was the time that Naru did not touch Mai, or rather, that was the time that Mai did not touch him. It was the time that she didn't embrace him. It was the time that he didn't hold her hand. It was the time that he didn't kiss her.

And it was starting to bother him.

On the first day when Mai didn't give him "the good morning kiss", he thought that maybe she had forgotten due to the rush to go to school, as soon as she finished preparing breakfast, Mai ran out of the apartment claiming that she had arranged to meet Keiko and Michiru to review some subjects before the test.

That same day, when he ordered his tea, the girl simply deposited her tea on the table and left her room without waiting for a "thank you" (not that he was going to thank her) or at least hug him.

"_Maybe she is busy with work._" thought Naru.

But as the days went by, the boy began to realize that Mai was not approaching him at all.

On Wednesday night when they went out to dinner and he tried to hold his girlfriend's hand, she pulled her hand away to point out something that Noll didn't pay attention to, because he was somewhat shocked by the fact that he was "avoided".

And now, it was more than 8 days without feeling Mai touch him.

"As if that would last another day." Muttered Naru as he tried to concentrate on the documents of the possible cases that he would accept.

Minutes later, Oliver heard the front door open and the voices of the SPR irregulars greeting Mai who greeted them back.

Naru wouldn't wait another minute.

"Mai! Tea!"

"There goes Naru wanting your attention just for him." Ayako said.

"Naru-bou doesn't know how to share you with us Mai!" Takigawa complained "I'll be sad if my Jou-chan doesn't pay more attention to her father!"

"Shibuya-san must just be wanting to see Mai-san's face, after all they are going out" said John trying to justify Naru's motives.

"You are exaggerating." said Mai, which caught the attention of Naru who was listening to all the conversation from his office "He is only suffering from tea abstinence at such an hour. After all, he sees me every day, and we are living together."

Oliver began to hear Mai's footsteps towards his office, and then pretended to focus on the documents in hand, until he heard Mai knock on the door.

"Come in."

Mai entered the room and closed the door behind her, walking to the English boy's table where she placed the cup of tea. She was ready to leave when Oliver's voice stopped her.

"What happened Mai?"

The girl's eyes widened and she turned towards the boy.

"Eh?"

Naru sighed and got to his feet, leaving behind his desk to walk towards his girlfriend who was acting strangely.

"I asked if something happened Mai." he repeated, extending his right arm to touch Mai's face, who took a step back, irritating him.

"No...nothing happened at school today." Mai replied trying to smile. Unsuccessfully.

"It is not just today that I am referring to, Mai." Oliver said lowering his arm and sighing "You have been strange for days, and I want to know the reason."

The girl bit her lower lip and lowered her head, she definitely didn't want to talk about it, otherwise she would start to cry.

"Nothing happened, I swear …"

Naru narrowed his eyes and took the wrist of the teenager, who opened her eyes with sudden physical contact.

"Don't lie to me…"

"I'm not lying, Naru!" She said while trying to get free from Naru's hold.

"Mai…"

"Naru! Let me go!"

"I won't let go until you tell me what's going on."

"I already said! It's nothing! What's your problem?!"

And suddenly Naru pulled her close to him, hugging her. Mai's eyes widened, surprised by the movement her boyfriend had made, there had been few times that he had taken the initiative in a hug or even a kiss.

"Naru...?" murmured the girl with her face hidden in the boy's chest.

"Why?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

"It's been over a week since you hugged or kissed me." Naru said with his face hidden in the curve of Mai's neck "Why did you suddenly stop touching me?"

The painful feelings and thoughts she had kept to herself began to overflow in the form of tears before Oliver had even finished his sentence. The sound of Mai crying made Noll push his girlfriend away a little so he could see her face.

"Mai…"

"I... I…" started the brunette "... every time I touched you Naru...you always ask me to go away...so why are _you_ asking me _now_ why I'm not touching you?! Isn't that what you wanted ?!"

"I never said …"

"Every time I decide to hug you, every time we are almost past kisses, you come with some excuse to get me away! And the only time I asked you why, you looked at me with disinterest!" exclaimed Mai who just didn't fall on her knees because Naru was holding her by the waist. "I'm not pretty enough?!"

"What?!"

"I'm not as pretty as Masako! I don't have a body like the models out there! I already knew that!" continued Mai, trying to dry the tears that continued to run down her face, but without success. "But if you don't want me anymore, just grow a spine to say that you don't want me anymore! Just say you don't love me anymore and I'll get out of your life Na…"

Before Mai could finish her sentence, Naru shut her up kissing her. He missed those lips, he missed Mai's arms around his neck. How had he endured more than a week without touching her?

When the air left their lungs, they were forced to separate, even against their wishes, but even after the kiss was over, Naru did not let Mai leave his arms.

"I don't know where you got that stupid idea that I don't want you anymore, but if that's because I didn't give you enough work, we can fix it." Naru said, breaking the silence.

"... Idiot …" replied Mai.

"I wasn't the one who thought all that bullshit."

"But you are to blame...for me having thought like this...if you only showed that you appreciate my presence at least a little, and that you like when I touch you, I would not have thought about these things…"

A silence came over, a comfortable silence, which was broken by Naru.

"I like when you hug me, especially when I'm working because it relaxes my body. I like it when you kiss me in the morning because you get the strawberry taste of your toothpaste. I like it when you come into my office to bring my tea, because then I have an excuse to see your face, and I just don't say "thank you" because you look beautiful when angry."

Mai's face started to blush with her boyfriend's words, was that some kind of dream?

"And don't you dare think this is a dream." Naru said as if he had read Mai's thoughts.

"...Naru...I…"

"I love you Mai." spoke the English boy "That's why I never go beyond kisses, because my only fear is to hurt you or to see you with an expression of regret."

Mai smiled and buried her face again in Naru's chest, who hugged her more tightly.

"You really are an idiot…"

"I already said that _you _are the idiot for thinking such nonsense." Oliver said with a slightly irritated voice. "And you deprived me a week from touch you."

"As if you were going to suffer from abstinence." laughed the brunette.

" You should know that yes, I am suffering from abstinence right now." revealed Naru, which made Mai raise her head a little to look in the blue eyes of her boyfriend "And you will have to do something about it."

Mai's eyes widened and her face flushed even more, but before she could even protest, Naru kissed her again.

She would definitely have a long day ahead...

**So...THE END!**

**Hope that you liked this little Naru X Mai oneshot!**

**And sorry for possible grammar errors, I'm still trying to improve my english.^^''**

**Thank you for reading!**


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